Tonight, you might want to attend a meeting in Hollister. That city is located in San Benito County, not far from the Silicon Valley. Or, you could head to a meeting in Greenfield, a city in the southern part of Monterey County. Both meetings start at 6:00 p.m., and given the distance, I don’t think you’ll be able to be at both of them. If you have a special concern about city growth and development, particularly as urban development affects agriculture, then you’ll probably wish you could be in both places at the same time.

In Hollister, the City Council is expected to pass a resolution asking the San Benito County Local Agency Formation Commission (or LAFCO) to permit the City to grow outwards into the surrounding area. In Greenfield, the Planning Commission is expected to recommend that the City Council make a similar request to the Monterey County LAFCO, allowing the annexation of more land into the City. In each case, the result would be more outward movement of urban development onto what is now agricultural land and open space. The pattern for this kind of growth is the City of San Jose, which is now proud to call itself the “Capital of Silicon Valley.” About forty years ago, when Santa Clara County was still a major center of agriculture, decisions by the City of San Jose led to the creation of LAFCO by the state legislature, to try to stop urban sprawl. Unfortunately, the problems have not gone away.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

City of Hollister Website
http://hollister.ca.gov/site/index.asp

City of Hollister Meeting Agendas
http://hollister.ca.gov/Site/html/gov/council/
agenda.asp?category_id=240000259 

City of Greenfield Website
http://www.ci.greenfield.ca.us/

Planning Commission Agenda
http://www.ci.greenfield.ca.us/Documents/
Agenda/PC%20Agenda%2012.12.05.pdf

Residents of Bonny Doon have a big stake in an item that that will come before the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors today. (Bonny Doon is a rural area in Santa Cruz County, for those who might not recognize the name).

Actually, residents of the City of Santa Cruz also have a significant stake in this particular agenda item, because the proposal is for a large expansion of the Bonny Doon Quarry, and Liddell Springs, a water source for the City of Santa Cruz, could be affected if the quarry expansion goes forward.

No decision on the project will take place today. Instead, the agenda item focuses on the environmental review process, and specifically on how the proposed quarry expansion might impact Liddell Springs. As a resident of the City of Santa Cruz, and as someone with a long time commitment to “keeping Bonny Doon rural,” I must say it’s nice to see the responsible governmental agency (in this case the County of Santa Cruz) taking its environmental review responsibilities so seriously. Many governmental agencies don’t do that. I think it’s pretty common in Monterey County, for instance, to have the County do almost anything it can to avoid having to prepare an Environmental Impact Report. If you are interested in seeing a good example of how environmental review should work, or if you have a particular interest in the proposed Quarry project, then go to www.kusp.org, and find the transcript for today’s Land Use Report.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Board of Supervisors Agenda
http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/bds/Govstream/ASP/Display/
SCCB_AgendaDisplayWeb.asp?MeetingDate=12/13/2005

Bonny Doon Quarry Staff Report
http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/bds/Govstream/
BDSvData/non_legacy/agendas/2005/20051213/PDF/051.pdf

“The High Cost of Low Price” is a controversial movie now showing in our region. In fact, it has apparently been shown something like thirty times over the last month. You can see it yourself, this evening, if you’re able to get to the Community Room of the Monterey Public Library, at 625 Pacific Avenue in Monterey, by about 6:00 p.m., when the doors open. The film begins at 6:30. In the film, Robert Greenwald explores (perhaps dissects is a better word) the way Wal-Mart treats its workers and their communities, and it’s fair to say that the film has opened up a critical debate about Wal-Mart, and about corporate power more generally, and what communities can do to control it. One of the main mechanisms of potential control is the land use process, and since there is an active Wal-Mart proposal in Pajaro, this will be more than a theoretical exercise for the people of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties.

The screening tonight is sponsored by the Monterey Peace and Justice Center, and you can get more information by clicking on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org, If you’d like to get involved in the local Wal-Mart issue, one group you can work with is called Pajaro Primero – Pajaro First, in English. This group will actually be walking door to door in Aromas, this coming Saturday, so you can find out more by connecting up with them as they begin that effort.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Wal-Mart Movie – “The High Cost of Low Price”
http://www.walmartmovie.com/

For more information on Pajaro Primero contact Gary Lasky

• Telephone: 831-476-5702
• Email:

The Aromas canvass effort will begin at the park in “downtown” Aromas at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 17th. It is scheduled to wrap up by 1:00 p.m. The park is at the corner of Carpinteria and Blohm, across from the Library.

Tuesday, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors considered a quarry project proposed in Bonny Doon, and demonstrated how seriously the County takes its responsibilities under the California Environmental Quality Act. The Board also addressed an issue of perennial concern in the Santa Cruz Mountains, timber harvesting.

Supervisor Mark Stone, who represents the San Lorenzo Valley, asked the Board to adopt a resolution authorizing an appeal of a controversial timber harvest proposal in Lompico, even though the State Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has not actually approved the proposed timber harvest. This request by Supervisor Stone is another illustration of the responsible approach that Santa Cruz County generally takes towards proposed activities that might have negative environmental impacts. Under the State Forest Practices Act, an Environmental Impact Report is not required, and in fact is disallowed. The procedures governing timber harvests are expedited, and when a decision on a proposed harvest plan is made, the affected local government has only ten days to appeal. Supervisor Stone, thinking ahead to the holidays, when the Board will not be meeting, recommended an action that will preserve the County’s right to an appeal. Here’s a salute to his foresight, which should help ensure that any timber harvest permitted will have conditions that address environmental and community concerns.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Board of Supervisors Agenda
http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/bds/Govstream/ASP/
Display/SCCB_AgendaDisplayWeb.asp?MeetingDate=12/13/2005

Letter from Supervisor Stone
http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/bds/Govstream/
BDSvData/non_legacy/agendas/2005/20051213/PDF/051.pdf

The Elkhorn Slough Foundation runs a “coastal training program” intended not for the general public but for those who are managers, practitioners, and stewards of tidal wetland restoration projects. A few such personages may be listening to this Land Use Report, and if you fit the description, and haven’t heard about this training program, then click on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org, to get some details on a Tidal Wetlands Restoration Workshop scheduled for Thursday, January 12th, 2006.

The recognition of the value of tidal wetlands has led to an unprecedented national focus on the restoration of such areas. Even though we now have several decades of experience with efforts to restore tidal wetlands (and our Central Coast Region has helped lead the way) there hasn’t been nearly as much collaboration and sharing of experience as might have been expected, and certainly not as much as would be desirable. This is where the Elkhorn Slough Foundation has stepped in to fill a gap. Experts from as far away as Madison, Wisconsin will help lead the workshop, which will be free to participants. The workshop will help develop the methodological approach for an adaptive restoration technique which can bring success. Even if you’re not a person who is likely to benefit from attending the workshop personally, you’ll probably join me in being grateful to the Foundation for making sure that those who do this professionally are at the top of their game!

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Contact the Elkhorn Slough Coastal Training Program

• By Email at
• By telephone to Grey Hayes – 831-274-8700